Graphic Novel Friday: Copper by Kazu Kibuishi
Kazu Kibuishi is the mastermind behind the Flight fantasy comics series and his own great fantasy adventure series, Amulet. Copper is less ambitious, even more oriented toward kids, and quite lovely all on its own. Basically, the comics contained herein are vignettes following the exploits of Copper and his dog Fred. Copper's always plunging into new experiences without a care while Fred's there to anchor him in reality. Sometimes they're jumping through a waterfall. Other times they're just trying to make a purchase at the local grocery store.
It's hard not to like Kibuishi's creations, even those in a minor key. Kids will love the visuals--from blimps with eyes to incredible clocks--and they'll also love Kibuishi's never cynical but also never sentimental approach to his two main characters. Personally, I love the way he draws mushrooms, rabbits, and frogs, so I had a great time reading this book on a rainy afternoon, curled up on the couch.
The book includes a short but interesting section on Kibuishi's process in creating Copper, including panels in various stages of completion. He also explains the differences between working on a longer storyline (Amulet) and a shorter one, Copper typically being no more than two or three pages.
Here are a few samples from the comic, which is also available online. The book's a great gift for any kid.
brian on February 09, 2010 at 02:16 AM
Love this comic strip, next time you can try to do a comic strip with kids going to ski through a mountain top and they meet A magical bear. :-)